Umno’s impaired vision

Umno is lethargic, those awake within the party are fighting the wrong battles while many have stopped believing in the party.

COMMENT

Umno, a party in power for 55 years, is facing a terrible backlash in the 13th general election. Why is Umno on the defensive, when it should be on the offensive?

By right, the party leading the Barisan Nasional coalition in power, should have an idea of what to expect in the upcoming polls.

It definitely knows whether the handouts are working in its favour, or whether the anti-opposition campaign in the local press is having the right impact. It also knows how much there is in the PM’s popularity among the people.

Yet, it is adamant. Umo is not listening to the grassroots, while it belittles the Umno members who are voicing against it. In the same process, it is giving high credence to Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa.

To the anti-Umno crowd, online or offline, this is a clear example of Umno’s flawed vision. Observers, particularly here on FMT, have pressed hard the idea that Umno has fallen into deep racism and extremism. And this is due to its impairment.

A recent video that went viral – (http://darisungaiderhaka.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-adun-umno-maki-hamun-mahasiswa.html) – shows the limitations of Umno. In the video, the Adun of Pulau Manis, in his reaction to some student’s crossing into “his territory”, said it all.

His opinion is clearly that of Umno in general, a lame and outdated view of things that Umno as a party wants to keep imposing on the younger Malaysia.

When he maintained that the students were abusing or wasting “government’s money” while campaigning for the opposition, it sounded like the defunct Libyan regime.

The bereaved Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli insisted on the demonstrators to go back to their universities, to study and to find jobs. It added that their revolt was a waste of government’s money and efforts to educate them.

Gaddafi was not totally wrong in what he was saying, but so is the Umno YB. However, not totally wrong does not mean being absolutely right, and this is what the rest of the country seems to be blaming the ruling party for. That is for portraying it as absolutely right!

Hence, to resolve this issue, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has done everything in his capacity – or so he thought – to bring Umno down to earth. Or he thought he was bringing the people and the students up, higher on the ladder? This is where Umno got confused.

Umno is lethargic

Umno is a party that, besides its flaws, has brought Malaysia to where it is today. Umno has given jobs, fame and money to the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians as well to the rest of the country.

Umno has also turned Malaysia from a sleepy giant into a vibrant nation and a financial capital in Asia.

These are the dreams on which Umno is sleeping, cozy on its laurels, while the country is chanting to the tune of “ubah”, “tukar” and “reformasi”.

Henceforth, what went wrong for Umno?

Umno, like an old man, cranky and impaired in the vision, is still a beloved party by the Malays in particular. It is highly rated among the local oligarchies – those people that the Mahathir era turned into instant rich. It is also feared by many.

The Malays in particular are in a 50-50 situation, whereby many of the people (migrants and born locally) were taken care of in the 1970′s and 1980′s. There are many localities, villages or kampungs and cities built by Umno for the Malays, by the Malays and of the Malayan money.

There is Felda. There are the settlements where migrants turned citizens lived for ages and whose children are Malays, recognised fully by the state.

There are also the current new rich, working for Petronas and rolling and bathing in huge pay cheques, while the rest are finding it tough to make ends meet.

Then there are the people who watch the local TV networks, brainwashed day and night by the anti-Anwar campaigns. They are presented a twisted, propagandist view of the opposition and this is their bread and “nasi” on a daily basis.

And Umno believes, in all its right, that it is doing fine and it will conquer the seats lost in 2008 while it will regain its much missed 2/3rd majority.

But Umno members want to know why Umno needs to be shaken to the core? All put together, it shows that Umno is lethargic, those awake within the party are fighting the wrong battles while many have stopped believing in the party.

Umno – though loved by those who feel they owe it some allegiance – is not aware of the rot in its support base. It is battling against a modern society, one in which the people are not willing to listen to the crap they are being fed.

Umno must understand that the younger generation wants more than the BR1M or the KR1M. They want to be like the Umno people who are riding high and wild on the top of the world, while pittance given to the masses.

In the end, the voice of the people, is the voice of God goes the saying. If the people have decided to do without Umno-BN, let it be the voice of God.

KL-based Amir Ali works for an Indonesian NGO called the Warisan Melayu Riau, which is based in Bengkalis, Riau.